02-Sep-2012 – Ones at beautiful sunny Sunday morning, I set off by bicycle to visit the confluence points 51°N 29°E and 51°N 30°E.

On the train I reached Chopovichi station, from there I rode through the villages Yosipovka, Vladovka, Velikiy Les [Great Forest]. Confluence 51°N 29°E is located near the village Obikhody, Korosten district, Zhytomyr region.

An approach to the point was severely hampered by the high grass, the height of which reaches the human height. At first, I was carrying the bicycle over my head. Then I decided to leave it in the grass, marked its location in my navigator.

In compare with the photos of previous visits seven years ago, the trees have grown substantially around the confluence. Young birch trees turned into a birch grove in which there were a lot of mushrooms. The area looks totally abandoned. There is no any trace of human business activity around.

Having reached the confluence and made all necessary shots, I returned to my bike and rode further to the next confluence, 51°N 30°E.

Attention: In December 1989 the area around the Confluence had a radioactive surface contamination from Caesium-137 of 185-555 kBq/m², the half-life of Cs-137 being 30 years. Even higher contamination values (above 1480 kBq/m²) can be found to the Northeast of the Confluence. Thus approach should be done coming from the South, the time of stay in this area should be kept as short as possible, and appropriate measures should be taken by the visitors to protect themselves against any radioactive contamination.